“Rather than pursuing these measures separately, Congress should consider consolidating the common provisions into a single Healthy Food Environment Law,” the CPBRD said in its August Policy Brief. The proposed framework would restrict child-directed marketing of unhealthy food, require front-of-pack nutrition labels, and establish a science-based nutrient profiling system to identify products subject to regulation. The recommendation comes as the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children aged 5 to 10 rose to 12.9% in 2023 from 9.2% in 2015. Among adolescents ages 10 to 19, the rate increased to 12.5% from 8.5% over the same period, based on the 2023 Expanded National Nutrition Survey. Several bills seeking to regulate unhealthy-food marketing, improve nutrition information, and strengthen fiscal measures have been filed in the chamber.